Film and Speaker Series’ fall lineup brings summer box office hits to campus

The University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL)’s Film and Speaker Series is back in full swing for the fall semester. The first film, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”, shown Sept. 8, was described as “an intimate look at America’s favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers” on the Film and Speaker Series website.

The speakers, Beth Hentges, department chair of psychology and associate professor of psychology, and Christine Walther, assistant professor of psychology, discussed the various stages of childhood development and how it relates to the formation of identity. They spoke about how the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” show taught children about self-acceptance and emotional awareness, and how children who watched the show exhibited enhanced prosocial behaviors in childhood and into adolescence.

The UHCL Common Reader Program teamed up with Hentges, Walther and the Film and Speaker Series to introduce the book “Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work” by Dave Isay at the “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” screening. The Common Reader Program was created to encourage critical thinking of important social issues. Dave Isay’s book features multiple accounts of regular people and the obstacles they have had to overcome to find a meaningful career path.

“The [Common Reader] Committee believed this [movie] was the perfect introduction to ‘Callings’ because many of the book’s interviewees began to seriously consider their career paths as young adults,” said Anne Gessler, chair of the Common Reader Program and lecturer in the First-Year Seminar Program and Humanities Program.

Izuh Ikpeama, president of the UHCL Student Government Association, has attended the Film and Speaker Series for many semesters, though he did miss “Won’t You be my Neighbor.”

“The Film and Speaker Series really don’t have a trend of movies,” Ikpeama said. “I think I’ve seen every different type of genre [be featured in the series].”

Ikpeama feels the movies and topics covered are important because they can get people talking about issues that would otherwise go unnoticed.

“It helps people take a step back and try to look at things from a differing perspective, and that’s refreshing,” Ikpeama said. “The movies always serve as a good introduction for the speaker series topic discussed after the movie. These topics can range from racial tension, cultural representation and a plethora of other current issues prevalent in today’s media.”

Ikpeama cited “Coco” as the feature film most memorable to him. “Coco” was Disney’s latest animated feature-length film and was shown during last semester’s Film and Speaker Series.

“It was a beautiful display of Hispanic heritage and finally allowed for an accurate representation of Hispanic culture in the media,” Ikpeama said.

The second movie for the fall was “Incredibles 2”, shown Sept. 15. The third and upcoming feature, scheduled for Sept. 29, is “Leave No Trace”, a moving story about a war veteran and his teenage daughter living on the fringes of society.

The rest of the fall line up features “A Fantastic Woman” on Oct. 13, “BLACKkKLANSMAN” on Oct. 27, “Crazy Rich Asians” on Nov. 2 and “Mankiller” on Nov. 10. These screenings are free for students with a student ID and have concessions available for purchase.

“Movies that are considered for screening are evaluated for several criteria,” said Sonia Hernandez, film curator at UHCL. “I prefer to screen current films that have high production values and address current societal issues in a meaningful way…I think the Film and Speaker Series is very important. The basis of the program is to provide a safe space for civil discourse on societal issues and topics that may be very controversial.”